Thai man takes legal action against boyfriend for stealing 35,000 baht and iPhone (video)

A Thai man took legal action against his boyfriend for stealing a mobile phone and 35,000 baht from his bank account. The victim said he still loved his boyfriend and would drop the charge if he returned his valuables.

The victim, 24 year old Jitpanu Sa-ardluan, took to social media after his boyfriend, 21 year old Boonlong, stole his mobile phone, an iPhone 14 Pro Max worth 40,000 baht, and transferred 35,000 baht to his bank account on January 17. Jitpanu is offering a 7,000 baht reward for anyone with useful information leading to Boonlong’s whereabouts.

Jitpanu revealed to the media that he met Boonlong on a Facebook application and was in a relationship with him for about six to seven months. Boonlong was a party entertainer based in the northern province of Chiang Mai as well as a rap music producer.

Jitpanu made known that he asked Boonlong to move into his home in the Fang district of Chiang Mai four months ago and asked him to quit his job as an entertainer. He took care of Boonlong and asked him to help his family with some agricultural work.

Boonlong told Jitpanu that he had to return home to Wiang Papao district in Chiang Rai province for military conscription. Jitpanu and his friends volunteered to send him home on January 17. Before the trip, they decided to go to an entertainment venue in Chiang Mai on January 16 and stayed at a hotel in the area.

According to Jitpanu, he arrived at the hotel room at about 4am on January 17 and was drunk. He fell into a deep sleep and this is when Boonlong saw an opportunity to commit the theft.

Drugs influence

CCTV footage from the hotel captured Boonlong sneaking out of the room at around 6am, only to return briefly before leaving again. He was seen being picked up by a male friend on a motorcycle, who then whisked him away from the scene.

Jitpanu suspected that Boonlong’s initial departure from the room was to take drugs with his friends, which may have influenced him to commit theft. Despite feeling hurt by Boonlong’s actions, Jitpanu expressed his ongoing love for him. He had supported Boonlong through his struggles with drug addiction and forgave him several times when he cheated on him and had sex with others.

Despite the turmoil, Jitpanu remained hopeful that Boonlong would return to reconcile. He wished for Boonlong to come forward, return the stolen items, and expressed his willingness to drop all charges against him.